Police inside Uvalde school not aware of children’s 911 calls, Texas senator says

AUSTIN — The narrative surrounding the Uvalde school taking pictures continued to evolve Thursday with new information rising that police inside the constructing have been not aware of 911 calls coming from kids locked in a classroom with an 18-year-old gunman.

That included Uvalde colleges police Chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, the incident commander in the course of the taking pictures. Previous police accounts mentioned Arredondo was aware of the 911 calls when he made the choice to carry again as many as 19 officers gathered in school hallways from getting into the classroom.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose district consists of Uvalde, revealed the information throughout a briefing within the metropolis. He known as the response to a taking pictures that left 19 kids and two adults lifeless, in addition to 17 injured, a “system failure.”

It was the newest piece of information that differed from authentic accounts from Texas prime regulation enforcement officers and Gov. Greg Abbott concerning the May 24 mass taking pictures. The close to day by day revelations have seemingly poured salt within the wounds of a small tight-knit neighborhood that continues to reel from one of the worst school shootings within the historical past of Texas and the U.S.

“We need transparency and that hasn’t happened here,” Gutierrez mentioned. “We’ve had several press conferences from local entity law enforcement, which is DPS, Department of Public Safety. We’ve gotten some answers. And we’ve gotten some bad answers. We’ve gotten information that the next day turns out to be different.”

Gutierrez mentioned he realized concerning the 911 name misinformation whereas inspecting why officers stayed within the hallways of Robb Elementary School for 47 minutes whereas an 18-year-old gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle remained in a classroom with kids.

“What we do know is that the 911 calls were not being communicated to the so-called incident commander officer Arredondo,” Gutierrez mentioned. “They were being communicated to a Uvalde police officer, and the state agency I have spoken to has not told me who that is.”

A message searching for remark from Uvalde police was referred to a Texas Department of Safety officer, who did not reply.

Changing narrative

The incorrect information launched within the aftermath of the taking pictures, in addition to questions on why officers did not instantly attempt to take out the gunman as quickly as they arrived — as mass taking pictures coaching dictates — have sowed doubts and confusion amongst a neighborhood with sturdy ties to regulation enforcement.

At the middle is Arredondo, the embattled police chief who was not too long ago elected to the Uvalde City Council. He has nearly disappeared from public view since particulars have emerged that seem to point he mismanaged the response.

Texas Department of Public Safety Chief Steven McGraw mentioned Arredondo made “the wrong decision” to not instantly interact the shooter. Abbott at a press briefing on May 27 mentioned he was “misled” after he had beforehand praised the response to the taking pictures.

State police have mentioned Arredondo stopped cooperating with investigators following the feedback from McGraw and Abbott, however he has disputed these studies.

In the times because the taking pictures, officers have needed to stroll again statements a few school safety officer initially confronting and exchanging gunfire with the 18-year-old shooter. No safety officer or police have been on the school when the shooter arrived.

And this week, regulation enforcement confirmed that the gunman did not enter the school as a result of a instructor left a door propped open. She had shut the door, however the automated locking mechanism failed, regulation enforcement officers later confirmed.

The new information about Arredondo not being aware of the 911 calls might change the narrative for him. But Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat, was fast to state that he was not making an attempt to defend the police chief.

“I’m telling you that he did not have privy, and I’m not covering him by the way,” he mentioned on the briefing.

Gutierrez known as the briefing at some point after Abbott requested the Senate and House every convene particular committees to look at the taking pictures and to search for doable options. Abbott, in letters to the heads of every chamber, made no point out of enacting new restrictions on firearms or firearm purchases.

Calls for particular session

Texas Democrats and a small quantity of Republicans have demanded Abbott name the Legislature again into session to enact laws to handle the shootings. Abbott, as he has in previous mass shootings, has resisted. And he, together with many different main Texas Republicans, has mentioned new gun restrictions are not mandatory.

Gutierrez known as the governor’s committees an try to “bamboozle” the general public and a “slap in the face to the people of Uvalde.”

“What he did was he decided to do another blue ribbon committee,” Gutierrez. “We’ve seen where that has got us in the past and I expect that we’ll see much of the same going forward.”

Following the 2018 taking pictures at Santa Fe High School and the 2019 shootings at an El Paso Walmart and within the Midland-Odessa space, Abbott organized roundtable discussions with regulation enforcement, politicians, survivors, lecturers and gun management advocates to stipulate options.

Following these discussions, Abbott issued suggestions for brand new firearm restrictions comparable to purple flag legal guidelines and shutting loopholes in background checks.

However, subsequent legislative classes did not yield any new gun restrictions, and in 2021 Abbott declared Texas a “Second Amendment sanctuary state” after he signed a slew of legal guidelines that loosened gun restrictions. Most notably, he made it authorized for Texans to hold handguns with out a allow.

Gutierrez on Thursday known as for “common sense” gun legal guidelines, together with a purple flag regulation that will enable police to confiscate weapons from individuals who have change into unstable or have made violent threats.

He additionally known as for the required age to buy a rifle to be raised to 21, and within the wake of Wednesday’s mass taking pictures at a medical facility in Tulsa, Gutierrez known as for a 10-day ready interval for the acquisition of firearms. Police mentioned the gunman in Tulsa bought a gun simply hours earlier than he shot and killed 4 folks, then turned the gun on himself.

Gutierrez final week immediately confronted Abbott throughout a media briefing, pleading to the governor to name a particular session. “You have to do something, man.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Texas Senate, did not title Gutierrez to the chamber’s particular committee. Gutierrez mentioned he has an excellent relationship with Patrick and spoke to the lieutenant governor for 90 minutes Wednesday.

“There is a concern or at least a contention that I might be politicizing an issue, and I’m going to answer you like this: This issue is political,” Gutierrez mentioned.

Abbott has assured Gutierrez that he will likely be allowed to attend and ask questions.